Este domingo 26 de julio de 2009 mientras se acercaba el mediod\u00c3\u00ada record\u00c3\u00a9 cuando Jim Rice vino a jugar con los Navegantes del Magallanes en la temporada 1973-74. Mientras hojeaba peri\u00c3\u00b3dicos de la \u00c3\u00a9poca aterric\u00c3\u00a9 en una calle de Cooperstown, la agitaci\u00c3\u00b3n de la ceremonia se esparc\u00c3\u00ada en la atm\u00c3\u00b3sfera cual aroma de mandarinas en verano. Los gritos de Henderson y Rice se mezclaban con el verde y el dorado de los Atl\u00c3\u00a9ticos y el azul y el rojo de los Medias Rojas.<\/p>\n
Siete cuadras antes de llegar al museo dos hombres discut\u00c3\u00adan con los rostros a punto de estallar. Sus gorras mostraban marcas de humedad y manchas de sudor de muchos a\u00c3\u00b1os. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Si Jim Rice lleg\u00c3\u00b3 al Sal\u00c3\u00b3n de la Fama y los Medias Rojas le van a retirar el n\u00c3\u00bamero. Tony Conigliaro se merece que por lo menos tambi\u00c3\u00a9n le retiren el suyo. Yo segu\u00c3\u00ad toda la temporada de 1967, todav\u00c3\u00ada recuerdo aquel jonr\u00c3\u00b3n del 15 de junio, en el cierre del und\u00c3\u00a9cimo inning, despu\u00c3\u00a9s de 2 outs, Joe Foy dio hit y Tony C se la sac\u00c3\u00b3 por encima del monstruo verde a John Buzhardt para darle la victoria a los Medias Rojas 2-1 ante los Medias Blancas. Y tambi\u00c3\u00a9n recuerdo aquella tarde que se convirti\u00c3\u00b3 en la noche m\u00c3\u00a1s negra, ese 18 de agosto me hab\u00c3\u00ada ido de vacaciones a Hawaii y trataba de subir a un cocotero, cuando iba a mitad de camino hacia el racimo de cocos escuch\u00c3\u00a9 que en la radio el narrador anunciaba que Tony C hab\u00c3\u00ada sido golpeado en el ojo izquierdo, me resbal\u00c3\u00a9 de la mata y me rasp\u00c3\u00a9 todo el pecho hasta llegar al suelo. Todav\u00c3\u00ada no s\u00c3\u00a9 que me doli\u00c3\u00b3 m\u00c3\u00a1s entre el pelotazo de Conigliaro y el rasp\u00c3\u00b3n en el pecho. Tony C merece que le retiren el n\u00c3\u00bamero, en 1970 sin haber recuperado la visi\u00c3\u00b3n total en el ojo izquierdo, bate\u00c3\u00b3 36 jonrones, empuj\u00c3\u00b3 116 carreras y anot\u00c3\u00b3 89 carreras, su promedio fue de .266\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Poco a poco recuper\u00c3\u00a9 el paso entre las im\u00c3\u00a1genes de los libros de Bob Ryan (The Four Seasons), Herbert F. Crehan, James W. Ryan (Lightning in a bottle. The Sox of \u00e2\u20ac\u212267), Bill Reynolds (Lost Summer), David Cataneo, Linda Householder (Tony C) y Doug Honig (The Boys of October). Un sonido de spikes met\u00c3\u00a1licos desapareci\u00c3\u00b3 cuando volte\u00c3\u00a9, solo vi un n\u00c3\u00bamero 25 flamear en una camiseta de los Medias Rojas.<\/p>\n
A dos cuadras del Sal\u00c3\u00b3n, dos ni\u00c3\u00b1os con gorras de los Medias Rojas de 1975 se lanzaban una pelota cada vez desde m\u00c3\u00a1s distancia. Cuando estaban a m\u00c3\u00a1s de 50 metros, uno coment\u00c3\u00b3: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153El \u00c3\u00banico Media Roja que pod\u00c3\u00ada lanzar una pelota de aire desde esta distancia y m\u00c3\u00a1s all\u00c3\u00a1 era Dwight Evans. Mi pap\u00c3\u00a1 siempre me cuenta lo que pas\u00c3\u00b3 en el sexto juego de la Serie Mundial de 1975. Todos hablan del jonr\u00c3\u00b3n de Carlton Fisk, pero si Dewey no hace aquella jugada en el right field y completa el dobleplay en primera base a lo mejor la Serie Mundial termina en 6 juegos. Hoy Jim Rice entra al Sal\u00c3\u00b3n de la Fama, pero Dewey tambi\u00c3\u00a9n merece estar all\u00c3\u00ad, sino revisen sus n\u00c3\u00bameros, son muy parecidos a los de Rice. Y adem\u00c3\u00a1s siempre era factor de optimismo en el dugout\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
Cuando caminaba hacia la entrada del edificio me v\u00c3\u00ad en la plaza Montes de Cumanacoa abriendo un paquete de barajitas de la Liga Venezolana, los ojos se me salieron de la cara cuando la primera barajita mostraba a Bob Darwin y detr\u00c3\u00a1s de esta un novato que estaba destrozando la pelota: Jim Rice. Un manganz\u00c3\u00b3n intent\u00c3\u00b3 arrebatarme las barajitas pero alcanc\u00c3\u00a9 a apretarlas en mi pu\u00c3\u00b1o. Corr\u00c3\u00ad hasta que se me rompieron las piernas. Pas\u00c3\u00a9 toda la tarde alisando las barajitas. Estaban arrugadas pero las ten\u00c3\u00ada. Justo al momento de subir las escaleras. Dos hombres sonrientes paralizaron mis pasos. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jim Rice fue uno de los grandes bateadores de su \u00c3\u00a9poca. Merece estar aqu\u00c3\u00ad\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Entendemos que hay otros peloteros que deber\u00c3\u00adan estar aqu\u00c3\u00ad. Nunca pierdan la f\u00c3\u00a9. Alg\u00c3\u00ban d\u00c3\u00ada Tony C ver\u00c3\u00a1 su n\u00c3\u00bamero retirado y Dewey tambi\u00c3\u00a9n llegar\u00c3\u00a1 al Sal\u00c3\u00b3n\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. El n\u00c3\u00bamero 3 y el 42 encandilaron mi visi\u00c3\u00b3n, cuando quise alcanzarlos sus camisetas desaparecieron en la multitud.<\/p>\n
English Translation<\/strong><\/p>\n This Sunday, July 26th, 2009, as noon approached I recalled when Jim Rice came to play for the Magallanes Navigators in the 1973-1974 season of he Venezuelan Winter League. While looking at the pages of newspapers from those days I landed at a Cooperstown street. The excitement proper of the induction ceremony could be felt in the atmosphere like tangerine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s scent in summer. The shouts of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Henderson\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rice\u00e2\u20ac\u009d got mixed with the green and gold jerseys of the A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and the blue and red of the Red Sox.<\/p>\n Seven blocks before arriving to the museum two men argued with their faces in bright red. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If Jim Rice got to the Hall of Fame and the Red Sox are going to retire his number. Tony Conigliaro at least deserves his number retired too. I followed the whole 1967 season. I still remember that home run on June, 15th, in the bottom of the eleventh inning. After two down, Joe Foy hit a single and Tony C hit the ball over the green monster before Johh Buzhardt to give the Red Sox the win over the White Sox. And I also remember that evening later tansformed in the darkest of nights. That August 18th I had gone on vacation to Hawaii and was trying to climb up in a coconut tree. When I was half the way to the coconut fruits I heard on the radio the announcer saying Tony Conigliaro had been hit in his left eye. I slipped down the coconut tree and scratched my whole chest all the way down to the ground. I still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what hurt more between the beaning to Conigliaro and the scratching on my chest. Tony C deserves his number to be retired. In 1970 with only one eye at hundred percent he had 36 home runs, 116 RBI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, 89 runs, .266 batting average.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n Little by little I recovered my step among the images of the books of Bob Ryan (The Four Seasons), Herbert F. Crehan, James W. Ryan (Lightning in a bottle. The Sox of \u00e2\u20ac\u212267), Bill Reynolds (Lost Summer) and David Cataneo, Linda Householder (Tony C). A sound of metallic spikes vanished when I looked back. I only saw a number 25 bubbling on a Red Sox jersey.<\/p>\n Two blocks before arriving to the Hall, a pair of kids with 1975 Red Sox caps played catch each time icreasing the distance between them. When they were more than 150 feet away, one said: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The only Red Sox who could throw a ball from that distance and beyond was Dwight Evans. My Dad always recalls what happenend in the sixth game of the 1975 World Series. Everybody talks about Carlton Fisk\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s home run, but if Dewey wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have done that play in the right field and wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have started that double play, maybe the World Series had finished in six games. Today Jim Rice is inducted to the Hall of Fame, but Dewey should be there too. You only have to go to see his numbers, are so close to Rice\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s. Besides he always was a positive factor in the dugout.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n While striding to the building I saw myself at the Montes square in Cumanacoa, Sucre, Venezuela. I was opening a pack of baseball cards of the Venezuelan Winter League. My eyes almost escaped from my face. The first card showed Bobby Darwin and behind it was the image of Jim Rice, the sensation rookie in the league. A bigger guy attempted to steal the cards from my hands but I grabbed them in my fist. I spent the hole evening flattening the cards. They were wrinkled but I still had them.<\/p>\n Just when I started to climb the stairs, two smiling men paralyzed my steps. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jim Rice was one of the more feared hitters of his era. He deserves to be here\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We understand there are some other players that deserve to be here. Never lose the faith. Some day Tony C will see his number retired. And Dewey will also arrive to the Hall\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Numbers 3 and 42 kind of glowed my vision. When I tried to reach them their jerseys vanished into the crowd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1453\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}